Displaying items by tag: Victor Maddern

CARRY ON CONSTABLE

UK, 1960, 86 minutes, Black and white.

Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Eric Barker, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Leslie Phillips, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Shirley Eaton, Cyril Chamberlain, Joan Hickson, Irene Handl, Esma Cannon, Terence Longden, Jill Adams, Victor Maddern.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

One of the earliest of the Carry on series, two years after it began, the atmosphere of British filmmaking in 1960, popular comedy, the transition to the more permissive 1960s. In the retrospect of the later films, Carry on Constable seems comparatively innocent certainly some sexual references, some shower and bathroom scenes, some ogling by the male stars but, in comparison with later films, rather more of the light touch.

In fact, the film was written by the writer of the earlier Carry on films, Norman Hudis. Then there was a transition to Talbot Rothwell who scripted most of the Carry on films, more explicit with sexual themes, a great deal of innuendo.

This was the first Carry on film with Sid James, rather more straightforward role, sometimes sympathetic, but he was to develop into the chuckling lecherer during the 60s and 70s. But, it is pleasing to see so many of the regulars in this film, the two Kenneths and Charles Hawtrey, much more explicitly gay in this film than later, especially with the cross dressing of Kenneth Williams and Hawtrey, Hawtrey even passing passably for female.

Joan Sims and Hattie Jacques are happily present and there are a whole number of guest female stars, young like Shirley Eaton, three years before Goldfinger, and Jill Adams, and veterans like Esme Canon as a deaf old lady trying to cross the road, Irene Handl erupting about a misbehaving boy, and, especially, two scenes with Joan Hickson as an aristocratic alcoholic showing her as an excellent comedienne as well as dramatic actress, later Miss Marple.

Eric Barker, doing his usual shtick as a befuddled authority, is in charge of the police station and employing four new recruits, the two Kenneths, Charles Hawtrey and, appearing in several of the Carry on films, Leslie Phillips.

A whole lot of farcical situations in the office and a succession of muddled police activity with special sequences for each of the four, their own kind of comedy which was to develop during the success of films.

Popular and easy humour, easy to watch.

CARRY ON SPYING

UK, 1964, 87 minutes, Black-and-white.

Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey, Eric Barker, Dilys Laye, Jim Dale, Richard Wattis, Eric Pohlmann, Victor Maddern, Judith Furse, John Bluthal.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

With James Bond film, Dr No, 1962, followed by From Russia With Love, it was probably inevitable that the Carry on series would move into the world of espionage and British agents. And so it was.

This episode was released at the same time as Carry on Cleo. The series had moved colour but this episode returns to black-and-white. And key members of the team are absent, Sid James, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Connnor. But, Bernard Cribbins had been the Kenneth Connor type character in Carry on Jack and does the same here. But, this was the first Carry on film for Barbara Windsor and she certainly makes a big impression, sense of comedy and fun, but also showing that the female characters, while definitely for the male gaze,  have character and could contribute to the more serious aspects of the plot.

Not that there are very many more serious aspects. This is very basic Carry on material, really just an espionage farce, with some of the usual jokes and more than innuendo. The screenplay was written by Talbot Rothwell, who was becoming the regular writer, but he collaborates with Sid Colin, writer of many comedies with the Chastity Belt and Up The Front comedies to come.

OF course, it is all a parody of British espionage, four dimwitted agents, Eric Barker as the version of M, Richard Wattis as a kind of Q. And there are various villains, especially led by Eric Pohlman, the in the number of British films at the time.

The impact depends on the presence of Kenneth Williams, not quite his usual role, in fact, giving up his posh accent for a rather flat one. But, a lot of the same shtick in the world of agents. Bernard Cribbins is genial but rather dumb. Charles Hawtrey is as always. And, Jim Dale is very enjoyable in a whole range of disguises as their contact. Dilys Laye sings songs and is ambiguous in her loyalties. Judith Furse is a variation on Blofeld. And, instead of SPECTRE, there is STENCH, Society for the Total Extinction of Non-Conforming Humans.

In and Algiers, an impossible number of extensive changes of costume and disguises. Some laughs, some nods to Bond and, explicitly with the zither music, The Third Man’s scene of Orson Welles emerging from the sewers. But, very basic British comedy.

JOSEPHINE AND MEN

UK, 1955, 95 minutes, Colour.

Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Jack Buchanan, Peter Finch, Heather Thatcher, Ronald Squire, William Hartnell, Gerald Sim, Victor Maddern, Thorley Walters, Laurence Naismith, John Le Mesurier, Lisa Gastoni.

Directed by Roy Boulting.

This is an all-stops-out comedy drama of the mid-1950s. It has a strong leading cast but it is also a film with many well-known British character actors in supporting roles.

The Josephine of the title is played by Glynis Johns, busy, organised, intervening, engaged to Donnell Sinden, an upcoming businessman. Also around is her playboy uncle who narrates the story into a bartender, played by veteran Jack Buchanan, in films since 1917, Broadway since 1924, very well known for his starring role in The Bandwagon. And, then there is the emerging Peter Finch as a playwright.

The film should have worked better than it does. Perhaps Nigel Balchn, creator of thriller novels and screenplays is not the best choice for writing this kind of comedy drama. And, Roy Boulting had great success with films like Brighton Rock.

The actors give their all but the treatment seems, at least in retrospect, somewhat laboured. Josephine with a compulsion to help needy men, encountering the disorganised playwright, breaking the engagement to the businessman, marrying the playwright and, over the years, supporting him, urging him, and his having great success. On the other hand, the businessman has resigned, successful but suddenly turning up on their doorstep with the police after him because of allegations of fraud.

And, at the same time, the wandering, uncle also turns up.

So, Josephine with her compulsion needs to be helping the businessman on the run and so neglecting her husband. All kinds of complications, misunderstandings, the police in pursuit and interrogations, some amusing supporting characters with their roles.

But, many decades later, does not have the impact it may have had in its day.

CARRY ON CLEO

UK, 1964, 90 minutes, Colour.

Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey, Amanda Barrie, Victor Maddern, Julie Stevens, Sheila Hancock, Jon Pertwee, Frances DeWolff, Warren Mitchell.

Directed by Gerald Thomas.

The late 1950s to the 1980s, the Carry On… franchise was extraordinarily popular

 Most of the films were produced by Peter Rogers and directed by Gerald Thomas – and a few other films during this period, not Carry on comedies, but British comedies for the wide audience. The rite of this film was Talbot Roth will who began writing comedy sketches as a prisoner of war and putting on reviews, satirical touches, wordplay, Devil traditions, and risk a. He would continue to write many more of the Carry on comedies.

Many audiences, Carry on Cleo is one of the best. It has rather lavish sets and costumes – some noting that they were leftovers from production preparation for Cleopatra, with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. In fact, this film came out the year after Cleopatra’s release, Amanda Barrie made to look like a variation on Elizabeth Taylor, some parody of the extravagant film, the bath with asses milk, and the rolling of Cleopatra out of the carpet – but, this time, with accidental crash results.

The film relies on audience appreciation of historical spectacles, the early sequences of Caesar trying to conquer Britain and the rather primitive Britain’s and their way of life, the attack, many of them going as prisoners to Rome as slaves – with the slave market sequence and Warren Mitchell representing the slave company, Marcus and Spence serious!

One of the advantages of the Carry on films was the constant cast (though Hattie Jacques is missing from this film). Sid James is just himself as Marc Anthony, Tony to his friends, with Kenneth Williams is a most unlikely Julius Caesar. Kenneth, is one of the captured British, based on the tales of An guest and Horse, Connor, by accident a hero and promoted to Caesar’s guard. (, Relies on his ability to do all kinds of impersonations, especially effective in Watch Your Stern.) Jim Dale is a pleasant leader of the slaves.

There are all kinds of puns, some of them very obvious with the audience waiting for them to be pronounced, quite a lot of innuendo. One of the most famous and everybody comments on it, so also here, Kenneth Williams Caesar about to be assassinated, “infamy, infamy, they have all got it in for me”. And there is a running joke of everybody adding countrymen to Caesar’s exasperation when he starts off “friends, Romans…”. In the final corny joke at his death, playing on the Latin, I came, I saw, I conked out.

Which means then that while this could be considered as lowbrow comedy (and many did), it entertains the lowbrow in all of us.

BARNACLE BILL/ALL AT SEA

UK, 1957, 87 minutes, Black-and-white.

Alec Guinness, Irene Brown, Percy Herbert, Maurice Denham, Victor Maddern, Donald Pleasance, Warren Mitchell, Lionel Jeffries, Jackie Collins, Miles Malleson, Allan Cuthbertson, Charles Lloyd Pack, George Rose, Richard Wattis, Eric Pohlmann, Joan Hickson.

Directed by Charles Frend.

Barnacle Bill/All at Sea was Alec Guinness’ last comedy film, immediately after his Oscar win in The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957. And, it was the last of his Ealing comedies, his moving into more serious films into the 60s and 70s.

The film was written by T.E.B.Clark, author of many of the Ealing studios films, Passport to Pimlico, Lavender Hill Mob, films about individuals and their defying the authorities. It is the same here, Captain Ambrose, played by Guinness, has seafaring ancestors, even from the Stone Age, and/or visualised with Guinness playing each of them, but all suffering from seasickness and disasters. During World War II, in Ambrose tested vessels rather than going to see!

After the war, very seriously, he buys a pier on the coast, the ship Arabella, and turns it into the equivalent of the tourist ship. But, he runs foul of the local Council, leading to scenes of tourists enjoying the comforts of a sea voyage and some sabotage from the Council members.

It is brief, rather low-key, British comedy of the time, social commentary. And, looking at the cast, it is filled with quite a number of well-known British character actors of the period or who were to emerge successfully in coming decades in television series – Warren Mitchell, Donald Pleasance, Joan Hickson… And, yes, that is the Jackie Collins in the cast!

Direction was by Charles Frend, who directed many of the significant British films, especially the 1940s and 50s, including Scott of the Antarctic and The Cruel Sea.

1. From Ealing studios in the 1950s? An Alec Guinness vehicle and his Ealing Studios films? The individual against the corporations?
2. Ealing Studios comedy, the writer, the directors, British humour, situations, character actors? Musical score?
3. The title, given the alternate All at Sea?
4. The introduction to Captain Ambrose, a celebrity, the honours, his manner, perfectly straightforward sometimes mischievous humour? The interviews, his reputation, at the pub, the rum cask, going to the bank, his money account, the staff, listening to his story, at the end, the celebrity mood?
5. Captain Ambrose’s story? His ancestors, from the Stone Age, Francis Drake, the Later Sea Captain, World War I – and Alec Guinness playing all roles? Seasickness and the way that it was manifested, the comic tragedies?
6. Captain Ambrose and his war career, seasick, the audience thinking he was at dea, but his career in demonstrating seasickness in various vessels?
7. His decision to buy the Arabella, the pier? Very serious, spending his money? The initial encounter with Mrs Barrington and her accusations? Going to the pier, the staff, seriously setting up the ship and the crew? The first officer and reliance on him? The performance, the Houdini -like character, the Captain tying him up in a bag, unable to get out?
8. Captain Ambrose vision for the pier, looking at the slot machines, the police, getting the young expert, his knowing how to win with skill? The machines being allowed? The youngsters, the rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere, taunting Captain Ambrose, coming to the concert, the talent not turning up? Playing the piano, dancing, the ripping up of the seats, providing the dance area, the youngsters enjoying it?
9. The plan to turn the Arabella into a cruise ship, holidays, yet at the pier? The work, the volunteers, the transformation? The dining area, the pool, all the luxuries?
10. The Mayor, his visits and discussions, the Council meetings, his henchmen, legal advice, Mrs Barrington? Corruption? The decision to improve the seafront, threatening Mrs Barrington’s dressing cabins, upset, the encounter with Captain Ambrose, his taking them, installing, her supporting him, her transformation, drinking the rum?
11. The crowds, coming aboard, the atmosphere of the luxury ship? The staff? Captain happily moving amongst his guests? The young lovers always hiding in boats et cetera?
12. The Council, their plans, the confrontations, the turncoat, swimming underwater engaging the depths, seen by the drinking Captain? Looking at the radar? Reality, his being Captain, interrogated?
13. The Council and the plan, sending out the boat, underwater, the Captain, facing his seasickness, Mrs Barrington’s cure, corset and earplugs? Going out, the confrontation, the four in the cage, trying to escape, Captain Ambrose and the machinery, capturing the Council?
14. The legal issues, the cruise ship and the foreign government and the permits? Sawing the connection so as not to pay shore taxes?
15. Small British comedies of the 1950s, the humour, still entertaining even if they look dated?